Academy of Heroes
by Benjamin .M. White
Summary: Title subject to change. A young wizard named Torra attends an academy for adventurers-to-be with his best friend Rhog. He encounters many things, but none can compare to the dangerous spies lurking in the shadows he must uncover.
1. Prolouge

School is such an odd thing. Most minors dislike it, even though they know they can't survive in the real world without it. Others utterly disregard it, never thinking of the rules. They blow off their homework, ditch some days, and are the ones destined for failure in the world. Others like it, knowing that they would never meet most of their friends should they have been homeschooled. Some enjoy the classes and the new knowledge that comes from them.

There are many social experiences that come along with it. 'Puppy love' of all forms happens. Friends for life are made, and forever rivalries are born. Not only do children develop mentally, but it is where social work takes place.

But what do I think of school? Well, I think if you talk about my school, it's comparing apples to the best fruit imaginable (which I happen to call peaches). My school, as you are about to find out, is not normal - even in a world of wonder.

The Dungeon and Dragon Academy is where heroes are made.


	2. Chapter 1

_The site of Gaddos Castle never failed to impress me. I bet even King Jauffray is still in awe of his home. It stood at the very top of the city, watching over its land like the King did to his people. When our great city was founded almost 800 years ago by King Gaddos, he united all the land within 100 miles to converge into one great city, which he named Arkhosyga, which roughly means 'City of Justice' when translated from Draconic._

"Torra..."

_All around us, the world is dangerous. Monsters roam, doppelgangers plot, dark gods lure mortals to their sway, and demons rampage (but not so much anyone). King Gaddos knew the danger of the land, and the glory of the ancient Dragonborn empire of Arkhosia. Arkhosyga was built upon Mount Arkho, the heart of the old kingdom. Gaddos himself was a descendant of the old kings, and his line still rules today as the legendary King Jauffray. One day, Gaddos hoped for Arkhosyga to become Arkhosia reborn, a unity of the world, a bastion of civilization from the monsters._

"Torra!"

_Over the centuries, the city grew. Great kings such as Fararun, Bagiya, Uhoua, and Jauffray have all made great strides in the city's size. Now, the original Mount Arkho is packed full of people. Five surrounding districts have been built into the mountains surrounding the original Order's Edge. Each of these contain about 10,000 people. But on Mt. Arkho, 100,000 live. The city now greatly resembles Arkhosia's capital._

**"Torra!"**

_People are pouring in by the dozens each day to live in our great city. Ever since King Jauffray and his friends raided - and practically conquered - the Abyss, legend of Arkhosyga spreads even faster. But we don't overpopulate at all. King Bagiya, 5th in the dynasty, was an expert planner. The city fluxed to a dangerous size in his reign, but it came at the best time. He carefully reformed the mountain, making every foot livable. Houses were being built in advance for the stream of immigrants, and all the neighborhoods were planned to not overcrowd. Magic-fueled transports which King Bagiya named monorails slid across Mt. Arkho like snakes, making travel fast and simple. A sewage network was quickly designed, flowing away all our garbage to a refinery underground in the mountain._

_"_**Torra!"**

_To his son, Bagiya taught him all his knowledge. And while he lived, Bagiya taught his grandson. And so on, so King Rotuua, the 11th in line, built the surrounding districts of Markana, Sorrinia, Legoi, Hapika, and Viquia. They were all built into the smaller mountains surrounding Mt. Arkho. The mount is divided into five districts, but it is often just called 'the Arkho district' as a whole. _

_The Markana district is where I live-_

**"TORRA!"**

The monorail skidded to an abrupt halt as I was flung to the ground from my overly- fluffy chair. The ink jar I had at my side was spilled all over the expensive seats and carpet - and my history report.

"TORRA!" Rhog yelled again. "Focus! You can do that later!" My Dragonborn best friend was a bit crankier than usual. But I knew why. There was no use trying to reason with him right now.

"Torra, how many times have I told you not to do homework on the monorail?! Bahamut's Breath! We aren't even in school yet!"

"Yes, but they gave us the first few assignments in advance. Might as well get to work on them." I growled in unison with Rhog when I saw the glob of paper that was the rough draft of my history report on the city. Picking myself up, and pulling the mess off the floor. I instinctively went for my staff. I had had the item since before I could remember, even before my parents died. It was kind of like a security blanket. In the crowded monorail, it must of rolled off somewhere.

A quick spell put my essay back in order, and I crawled off in search of my wooden tool. Saying a good number of 'pardon me's, 'excuse me's, and 'sorry's as I crawled my way through the exiting crowd, I groped around on the floor. There were at least two hundred seats on the high-class monorail my old staff could have rolled under.

"Hey! Watch it!" I accidentally swung my hand into someone's leg once I spotted the telltale diamond glitter that came from the top of my staff.

I looked up to apologize, but the words stopped in my mouth. A girl about my age stood over me - _with her hair flaming_. All her skin was a bright red, with every form of white streaks flowing across it. She wore just a basic set of leather armor, not wearing any regular robes beneath it. It gave me a full view of the giant, intricate tattoo.

But all that faded away. The markings stayed there, but her skin turned a shade of dark blue with a hint of gray; the color of a coming storm. Her hair died back down to a tone of looming thunderheads.

She quickly turned apologetic. "Sorry to burst out on you like that. I've only just learned my fire manifestation, and I've got some issues on keeping it under control."

I was still in a state of slight shock. "You - you're a Gensai? A thought they only lived in Faerun."

Her face said she had already explained this millions of times before. "My clan moved here from Airspur some generations ago to live here in Order's Edge. It's a long story." She swung back her legs casually, kicking my staff. Her gray arm reached back between her seat and the empty one next to her, pulling up the magic tool.

"Is this what you're looking for?" she asked.

I nodded. "Thanks. What's your name?"

"Valin," she said coolly."Yours?"

"Torra, wizard in training!" I stated proudly. It had always been my life's dream to become a master arcanist, even before I could walk.

Valin smiled. "Nice to see a fellow learner. I'm working on becoming a swordmage." Standing for a moment, she reached into the compartment above her where passengers stored their luggage. Aside from just one bag, the only thing inside was a huge greatsword. She held it in her hands proudly.

"One day, I want to see the world and become a great adventurer. Slay some kobolds, orcs, drow, vampires, githyanki, and maybe a few Demon Princes while I'm at it," she joked. "But I'm not so sure how many Jauffray left alive."

"All the main ones, like Orcus or Demogorgon, are dead. Only about 30 minor lords are still known to exist. They're mainly just some Balors who think they're bigger than they really are," I quickly recited.

She stared at me in amazement. "Dang, you're smart!"

I shrugged. "I managed to get my hands on a copy of _The Demonomicon of Iggwilv." _Another stare of shock followed.

"Hey, you kids! Everyone off the monorail!" yelled a security guard. Valin quickly grabbed her bag and dashed out. I did the same further up the aisle.

When I got out on the clean stone platform, Rhog made another growl. This time, a bit of fire slipped out through his fangs. "Torra, what took you so long?!" The closer we got, the more his temper grew. The crowded monorail station didn't help. It was about seven o' clock in the morning, and it was rush hour. Well, _every _hour is rush hour in Order's Edge, but this hour more than most.

"Sorry. Got caught up." I wanted to let Rhog have as much cool-down time as possible, so I didn't elaborate.

We ran, slipped, side-stepped, and squeezed through the massive crowd. Pulling out the paper with all our information about our destination, I checked the number right after the High-Class monorail's for the 11th time today. Just wanted to make absolutely sure.

I checked the massive magical board, being updated on the arrival times, locations, destination and numbers of every monorail that operated at this stop. The very top of the chart read _Markana District Monorail Information._

From the board's information, we stopped and got on number 2610. It wasn't as fancy as the one we rode on before meant for the upper class, but was still well kept like everything in the city. This one was brimming with people, and it was almost impossible to find a seat. Every race was well represented in this mess, I even spotted a Gnoll and Warforged. But the packed machine provided seating.

Then I heard a voice behind me. "Hey, Torra? Need a seat?" Behind me was Valin once again. She had two empty seats in front of her. Two her right and left was a Longtooth Shifter and a massive Goliath (you could hear the seat groaning from his weight).

Rhog gave me his signature confused look, raising one of his eyebrow - scale equivalent higher and slightly lowering the other. "You know her?" he asked.

"She was the one who found my staff on the other monorail," I explained. "Swordmage in training."

"Ahh..." Rhog said. It both it hit us at the same time that she was going where we were. She didn't seem very wealthy, but the monorail was one of the ones transporting all the students... Yes, she was definetly going to the Academy.

Taking our seats, the lights flashed on that said to stay seated. In our windows, the urban city flashed by with increasing speed. The finely paved granite streets of the Markana district showed the countless bodies meandering about.

In just a minute, the great Arkho Range opened up before us. Faster and faster, the monorail flew. The great Mt. Arkho loomed before us, bustling with greatness. It almost shown with the people's and king's pride in their great work; Gaddos Castle stood at the peak like a crown. Markana, despite its marvelous architecture, seemed so small to the mount's grandeur.

Valin was the first to look back from the landscape. "So... where are you guys from?" she asked, looking to stir conversation.

Rhog began to grow quiet. He traced his claw across his hard leather clothing, a troubled look in his eye. I answered for him.

"You know that big fire that swept through the upper portions of Mt. Markana fourteen years ago?" I asked.

"I've heard stories about it, but I live in the lower regions." Valin began to catch my solemn mood. "A lot of people died then. I think around 150." She obviously had her share of intelligence.

"My parents died in that fire. But I survived somehow - it must of been my magic powers helping me. My parents were both magic professors during King Eulalia's reign, and were good friends with Lord Rhoga IV."

"The district's lord was a family friend? I thought most of those were nobles were stuck up and stuffy." A very menacing growl came from Rhog, coming with more than a little Dragonborn fire.

Her skin began to turn red at the challenge, but the Shifter at her right gave her a look. They were obviously friends like Rhog and I, and probably had the same relationship of one cooling the other down. The gray one then calmed. "Sorry if I offen-"

"Stop. It doesn't matter." He went back to brooding. The Stormsoul Gensai looked at him for a few seconds, then let me go on.

"Because we were close friends, Lord Rhoga took me under his wing and became my guardian. Rhog here, being my best friend from birth, became my foster brother."

Valin began to realize Rhog's state. She thought for a word, but the Shifter answered first.

"Valin didn't mean anything, Lord Rhoga-"

"Rhog."

"Lor-"

"Just Rhog." His eyes still stared at the imaginary circle his claws made.

"Then... Rhog." She waited a moment to make sure he wouldn't interrupt again. "Valin didn't mean anything, she can have a quicker tounge than brain." Valin gave her friend a playful glare. "Just tell us why you're worried, and I can help. I'm pretty good with dealing with things like that."

Rhog stayed silent for a good ten seconds, growing even more thoughtful. "I was born into the wrong family. I'm not meant to be a noble." The atmosphere was held for a few seconds. The shifter was about to make a comment, when the Goliath interrupted.

"Aurora, leave him for a moment." Even though he hadn't spoken yet, his voice commanded wisdom and attention. Another awkward silence reigned for several seconds. Valin dared break it.

"So Rhog, you're scales are mostly red, but I can see some black ones mixed in. What's the story?"

Rhog responded slowly and thoughtfully, still not quite in this world. "My great-great grandmother on my father's direct line, Arianna, was black scaled. Her genetics still carry down now, but the gene is beginning to weaken."

The goliath spoke again. "You know your family tree that well?"

"My father made me study it, like most things." A bit of spite slipped in to his words. "King Jauffray is my fifth cousin, once removed. But heritage studies aren't all that bad. I actually have several legendary Arkhosian sorcerers in my direct ancestry." Thinking about that fact brought a temporary smile to his face.

"So you hope to be a legend?" the Goliath asked again. There was a hindrance in his voice that said Common wasn't his first language.

"Not just any legend - the greatest sorcerer that's ever lived." He began to smile at the thought. "If I could be a knight of Arkhosia, _that _would be the life I was meant to live. Rushing into the hordes of monsters, blasting through Bael Turath's warlocks, breathing the power of Io on my foes... that would be the life." His eyes glazed over in a new way as he undoubtedly saw vision of himself in epic battles.

Aurora began to see Rhog opening up. "Who was your favorite Arkhosian hero?" she asked.

I mouthed _STOP! STOP! _several times, but it didn't work. My scaly friend had already started.

"General Lukana, no doubt! Son of Anakia, just a peasant living in the town of Couisa. But he joined the Arkhosian military at age eighteen as a sorcerer, and rose through the ranks like lightning. In a few months, he was already commanding his own squad, which was right when war began with the Turathi Empire. His first real battle was at Galadran River a few miles from his home. He fought hard, and when the Commander died, he took over. Technically, that was insubordination, but every member of the raiding party was captured or killed. Shortly after, he was given his position as Commander of the 14th Brigade nicknamed "The Garkana Brigade" (Gargana means something like 'especially heroic' or 'epic rescue', there's not an exact translation)..."

I slapped my hand into my face. Valin groaned, but the Goliath and Aurora just laughed. But Rhog was sure enjoying himself. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to bring it up...

***

The monorail pulled to halt, and Rhog had only just taken a hint and stopped talking. In another crowded monorail station, numbers were even worse. This was near the bottom of Mt. Arkho, the most populated section. But there seemed to be a strange amount of kids about sixteen or seventeen like us. Since many of them were armred, they were likely going to the Academy as well.

We wormed our way through like everyone else in the frantic pot of chaos. I checked the next and last monorail number again. It was monorail number 0005. Not too hard to remember. A glance at another information board, this time reading _Fararun District Monorail Information. _

Finally, we jumped through the monorail door out through the pushing crowd. Inside, a narrow isle stretched both ends, ending in doors where the next carts would be. Smaller, sliding doors studded the sides about every ten feet, totaling to be about five on each side.

Staying together, we all jumped into the first available spot we saw. By the looks of it, we got here a little early. From the windows, only two of the small cabins were filled. But looking back, there was a wave in the sea of humanoids that was coming our way. Better hurry before the crowd would arrive.

The cabin was made of well-polished oak, every spot perfectly clean. The benches could seat about three people (there were two), and were cushioned with red fabric. Above us were storage compartments like I had seen on the previous monorail. There was about five feet of space between the benches, giving plenty of leg room. I had never seen a monorail like this before.

I stood up to put my bag of supplies above me, and so did my friends. I took a glance at the magic device I that was a gift from Lord Rhoga. It would show the time with glowing numbers; he told me a special artificer made it. We still had about at good twenty minutes before the monorail would leave.

I noticed that besides Valin's greatsword case, the Goliath and Aurora had similarly shaped packages. I quickly asked "You hope to be adventurers too?"

The Goliath sat down and nodded. "I am working towards becoming a Warden. But before I go on, I'm afraid we have not been properly introduced. I am Eos of the Anhuin tribe."

The name made me think of something from one of the many private tutors Lord Rhoga had hired for Rhog and I. "Anhuin... wasn't that a tribe that lived in the Arkho Mountains in the original days of Arkhosia?"

Eos nodded slowly again. "They still do, but not in great numbers. Many of us have abandoned the old ways to live in the city. I live north of Mount Markana, with my cousins, siblings, aunts, uncles... what is the term?"

"I think you mean 'extended family', or maybe 'clan'," I explained.

"Ahh, yes. Clan. My father wanted me to come to the... city for a while to help learn the ways of the Warden of the Earth." His Common was still a little rough, but better than most speakers who learned it as a second language.

"What was your first language?" I asked.

"Dwarven. But my Common is good, no?" he asked, a hint of offense in his voice.

"Yes, it's great! I didn't mean anything." I felt cautious about what I should say next.

Aurora and Rhog had already stowed their supplies away and sat down by the door. I decided to join them, leaving Eos to stare out the window.

"I come from the lower districts of Markana," she explained. "I have four younger brothers, but the oldest is just seven years. My mother is the head priestess at The Temple of Melora there, which has these beautiful gardens! With my dad's help, Mom wove a special vine mesh that covers the entire courtyard, and plants grow on all sides! She's an amazing craftswoman!"  
"Can you do any of that yourself?" Rhog asked, curious about his part-werewolf friend.

"Just a bit. Here, let me show you some." Aurora's hand flashed to her front pocket and pulled out a long, thin, organic wire. She tied it in all kinds of small knots around the doorknob next to her, quickly forming what could resemble a wolf in a minute.

Rhog gaped in awe. "You're amazing!" he said a little bluntly.

"Anyway, I'm in training to be a cleric for Melora. I've already learned quite a deal of healing prayers. Torra is a wizard, Eos is a warden, Valin is a swordmage, and we're all heading to the Academy... what are you training to be?"

Rhog smiled smugly through his sharp teeth. "Sorcerer. Can I demonstrate?"

Aurora looked a little perplexed. "We're inside a monorail. How can y-" She saw how when flames began to flicker out from Rhog's mouth; he had quickly transformed his maw into a furnace. It was a trick he liked to do with his magic. The cabin quickly heated, but Rhog then sucked the red flames back in.

Now, Aurora looked amazed. "I figure you want to follow the same path your hero... Luka..."

"Lukania."

"Yes, thanks." Aurora was cautious in the conversation, careful not to set off a lecture.

I decided to step in. "When did you and Valin meet?" I asked. Currently, the Gensai in question was talking with Eos by the window, watching the bustling monorail station. Aurora took a quick glance at them, as if to make sure Valin wouldn't hear what was about to be said.

Her words were a soft whisper. "Valin was scarred forever when all her clan was murdered by the Taliver. They're... nobody knows exactly what they are. They live out beyond the city, somewhere in the darkest reaches of the Arkho Mountains. When all of Valin's clan was out on a camping trip of some sort, they were all murdered. Parents, cousins, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles... all killed. All except Valin. She would've been killed too had not Eos's clan came in and chased the monsters off. Valin was just about ten years old at the time, and vowed revenge on the Talvier. But she was severely wounded, and Eos and his father brought Valin to my family's temple. I personally nursed her back to health. Ever since, Valin and I have been like siblings.

My family offered to take her in, but she refused. She tries to raise herself, thinking it will train her for when she's strong enough to go out and slay the Taliver. But I won't let her go. She needs us." I assumed _us_ meant her family.

Now, the monorail was abuzz with teenagers of all races, shuffling through the crowd to find an empty monorail cart. Through my window, I saw everything. Half-orc, Gnome, Halfling, Shadar-Kai, Elf, Eladrin, Teifling, even a Drow! and... yes, that was a Githzerai. There were even a few I couldn't recognize.

Taking another glance of what Lord Rhoga had labeled as a 'watch', it was now about fifteen minutes until departure. We spent the last of the time getting to know each other. Rhog and Aurora were already talking like old friends.

"So the night before that one, _two _of my little brothers had spilled their milk. So now at dinner, Mom said 'Anyone who spills their milk has to go to bed right after dinner.' And the next thing she does - spills her milk!" Both laughed loudly at the funny story.

Valin had many a story to tell. I'm sure about everything was exaggerated at least a bit, but it was still entertaining!

"I was hiding around the corner, listening in to the gang, and someone grabbed me from behind. But I elbowed him in the gut, hit him in the face, and gave him a quick roundhouse kick..." all the while, she used extravagant hand motions to describe her 'epic exploits'. Eos watched quietly, always trying to bring sense and reason to Valin's stories and shooting down whatever ludicrous story she had. Eos was always right, but Valin would never give in.

I could tell, right then and there, that this year would be a great year. All my life, I had lived without parents, only Rhog for a companion and servants to tend to us. Lord Rhoga was kind, but never a true father. The servants just did what they needed to do, but Rhog and I seemed to live only with each other. Now, I was beginning to enter the real world, and loving it.

But I had yet to discover the horrors the real world could hold.


End file.
